This Rare Ford Cortina Wagon Is Infused with Lotus SpiritCar and DriverBrendan McAleerSun, September 13, 2026 at 4:39 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleBaT Pick: Ford Cortina Wagon Has a Lotus HeartBring a TrailerThe Lotus-prepped version of the Cortina sedan was raced in-period by multiple Formula 1 champions, and this wagon variant is even more charming.With a lowered suspension and plenty of Lotus parts, it's a hot little number.Most of these rusted away, but this one's in extremely tidy shape.Whenever the debate kicks off over who holds the title as the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time, one soft-spoken Scot always turns up as a contender. Born in Fife in 1936, Jim Clark arrived in the 1960s with a blaze of near-superhuman car control, storming his way to two world championships. He didn't just race in F1 either, but won the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship in a Lotus Cortina, racing alongside fellow Scot Jackie Stewart.Bring a TrailerToday's find over at Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is a potential answer to what Clark might have driven had he retired to his beloved Borderlands farm at the pinnacle of his career. It's a 1967 Ford Cortina Estate, complete with Lotus parts here and there, including a 1600cc motor out of a Lotus Elan. It's a nippy little '60s compact with handling good enough for an F1 prodigy, plus cargo space for a brace of Border Collies.AdvertisementAdvertisementCortinas like this were sold new in the U.S. market in-period, and this one was originally delivered into California. Easy living in the Golden State seems to have agreed with this plucky Brit, in the opposite way that life on the road in someplace like the northeastern U.S. would not. Vintage Cortinas were sold in sufficient numbers to be theoretically commonplace today, were it not for a tendency to rust. Most examples could now be gathered up with a dustpan and broom.Bring a TrailerNot this feisty little wagon. Clean as a whistle and tidy in two-tone blue paint, it looks ready to go turn any backroad into a rollercoaster ride, with 13-inch multispoke alloys and a slightly lowered suspension. It has disc brakes at all four corners and should be easily able to do more with less, as all the best Lotus-infused machinery excels at.Speaking of Lotus, the 1600cc engine and four-speed manual transmission here lifted out of an Elan should be good for just over 100 horsepower. It's been sorted with fresh fluids and a tune-up with new spark plugs and so forth; it's a well-understood and solid little motor. It's not a huge amount of power, but think 1960s Miata-as-a-wagon type of driving experience.Bring a TrailerSuch a thing sounds like tremendous fun to drive, paired with great vintage looks and surprising practicality. British cars are often a bit needy, requiring a mechanically sympathetic owner, but imagine filling the trunk (sorry, the boot) of this thing with a cardboard box of spares, then ferrying it home to tuck them away for a rainy day's wrenching. All part of the fun.AdvertisementAdvertisementQuick, fun, thrifty, rewarding to a bit of skill behind the wheel. Jim Clark would doubtless have approved of this little Ford.The auction ends September 16.➡️ Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.Shop New Cars Shop Used CarsYou Might Also LikeGift Guide: Best Ride-On Electric Cars for KidsFuture Cars Worth Waiting For: 2025–2029